Chicken tagine with lemons, olives & pomegranates

This one-pot wonder has so much flavour and personality. It’s warm and comforting, yet exotic with the heady flavours of Morocco. It somehow says summer and autumn in one bite – the perfect dish for the changing seasons. Cassie Best, senior food editor

SERVES 4-5 PREP 10 mins COOK 1 hr 30 mins EASY G

2 tbsp olive oil

8 chicken thighs

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves

2 tbsp Moroccan spice mix

1 large or 2 small preserved lemons, skin only, finely chopped (or make your own, see right)

2 fat tomatoes, chopped

1 chicken stock cube

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp red wine vinegar handful olives

1 small lemon, 1/2 very thinly sliced 1/2 pomegranate, seeds only 100g feta, crumbled small bunch mint, leaves only couscous, to serve 1 Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wide, shallow casserole dish or ovenproof pan. Season the chicken and cook, skin-side down, for 8-10 mins, until crispy. Flip over and cook for another 5 mins. Transfer to a plate. Heat oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3. 2 Add the rest of the oil and the onion to the pan. Stir for a few mins, then add the garlic and Moroccan spice mix. Stir, scraping any bits of onions and chicken from the bottom, until the spices smell fragrant. Add the preserved lemon, tomatoes, stock cube, honey, vinegar and 750ml water. Bring to the boil, then place the chicken on top. Cover with a lid or foil and transfer to the oven for 1 hr.

3 Uncover, place the olives and lemon slices on top and drizzle the lemons with a little oil. Return to the oven for 20 mins, or until the sauce has reduced a little (you can do this on the hob if you’re short on time). Check the seasoning, adding a squeeze of lemon, more honey or salt if you think it needs it. Scatter over the pomegranate seeds, feta and mint, and serve with couscous.

GOOD TO KNOW 1 of 5-a-day

PER SERVING (4) 483 kcals • fat 32g • saturates 10g • carbs 14g • sugars 11g • fibre 3g • protein 33g • salt 1.8g